


Bridges Unburned

by KyLikesSandersSides



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming Out, Crying, Human, Light Angst, M/M, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 23:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21065195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyLikesSandersSides/pseuds/KyLikesSandersSides
Summary: There are lots of pranks that Remus does, but one seemingly tame prank elicits a harsh reaction from Dee.





	Bridges Unburned

**Author's Note:**

> warnings: one harsh slap to the face (violence), cursing, crying, deceit being angry (no unsym), pants’ing in public, secondhand embarrassment, platonic into romantic.

Remus pranks his friends all the time. About half the time they’re done do Dee, and they both laugh it off afterwards.

This time, they were in Walmart and Dee was looking at clothes while Remus stood idly nearby. He’d been itching to prank Dee all day and he realized that his was the perfect moment to do it since the shorter man was distracted. 

Thinking of his options, he didn’t find that many good choices. He could taser him in his sides, but that doesn’t quite raise the stakes as high as he wanted. He could secretly steal his phone but that would make the other freak out too much. He could- oh. He could do that.

Silently standing behind Dee, he pondered if it should just be the pants. He also thought that wasn’t quite his style. In one quick motion, Remus pulled the garments down and swiftly backed up a few feet.

Dee scrambled to pull his pants up off the floor. Remus was giggling until he saw the way the other reacted, frantic and desperate and panicky, which confused and concerned him. When Dee pulled his pants back up, he turned around and slapped Remus in the face so hard he knew it was going to bruise.

The sound was reminiscent of a gun shot it was so loud. It warranted the gaze of a few other customers and an employee.

He wasn’t expecting that. Remus’ pranks were tame enough to not warrant physical violence, so he can’t wrap his mind around the fact that his face was stinging.

He especially didn’t expect to see Dee’s face turning into unfathomable shades of red and tears starting to form in his eyes.

An employee walks up and asks if there’s a problem, and asks Dee if he wanted the guy to be escorted out.

The two hadn’t broken eye contact since and didn’t when Dee said, “Yes,” in a broken voice.

Being escorted out of Walmart was one of the most embarrassing things Remus had experienced. He regrets it now, but he still can’t wrap his head around the fact that Dee got so upset.

Roman’s phone rang on the coffee table, and he picked it up to see his brother calling. He sighed, knowing Remus either wants something, going to ask a rhetorical question, or tell him about a meme.

“Yes, Remus?” He apathetically answered.

“I think I fucked up.” is the first thing Roman hears out of his brother. No ‘hey have you heard this of this new dance’ or 'what if someone used butter as lube’. His tone wasn’t normal, it was grave and shaky.

“What happened?” Roman said, concern seeping out of his voice. The worst things he could think of was his brother getting evicted from his apartment or accidentally getting someone else hurt.

“I- I pranked Dee and it didn’t-” Remus sighed and continued, “I fucked up.”

Instead of asking what happened again, Roman asked, “Where are you right now?”

“Outside of Walmart.” His brother replied morosely.

“Why are you outside?” Roman said gently, he knew Remus didn’t smoke so there had to be a reason.

“Because I got escorted out.” Remus whispered. And to this, Roman wiped a hand down his face.

“Why were you escorted?” Roman muttered, Remus could hear the aggravation in his voice.

“I…” Remus choked on the words as his throat tightened.

“Please tell me. Were you guys in Walmart when it happened?” He asked, trying to be as sensitive as possible to his brother.

Roman knew his brother had a crush on their friend Dee, and that Remus wouldn’t be so distraught if he had pranked someone else.

“Y-yeah.” He choked, “It was. I pants’ed him. Boxers too. He smacked me.”

“Oh, Remus-”

“He looked at me like I was evil.”

“I’m so sorry, you must feel terrible. You need to talk it over with him.” Roman replied, and it’s not like Remus couldn’t avoid talking to Dee in the future, but his stomach twisted at the thought of having to face the aftermath of whatever this was.

“I know.” He choked out once again.

-

Remus entered their apartment, heart rate through the ceiling, ready to feel the wrath of his best friend. Dee’s gotten angry at him many times before, but this felt different. He could feel the unfathomable anger from the doorway.

Dee was waiting for him, against the kitchen counter.

He walked past the kitchen doorway and notice the other standing there, as if he were a statue. He leaned against the door frame and decided on what to say. “At least it was uh, in the clothes section, so no one else saw.” Remus muttered, looking guilty and at the floor.

“IT DOESN’T MATTER! It doesn’t matter if it was in the clothes section! It still happened!” Dee yelled, and Remus flinched. He supposed this was the right reaction since Dee got so upset, the other must still be working through some feelings.

“Y-you’re right, I’m sorry.” The genuine tone displacing Dee’s train of thought for about five seconds.

“Are you sorry?!”

“Wh-”

“You… You don’t say sorry when you do pranks.” Dee said, starting off strong but ended up muttering by the end.

“I didn’t expect you to react that way and I didn’t know that was out of bounds. I apologize. It will never happen again, Dee.”

“See, there you go again! You’re being soft with me. Why?” Dee sounded defensive and accusative at the same time.

“Because I love and care about you?” Remus suggested, which left the other man sputtering.

“Okay, Ree, that’s besides the point. You’ve been softer with me in general and I don’t know what changed.”

“…Because I love and care about you.” Remus said again, more of a fact this time.

Dee sighed, slapping his hands against his thighs in exasperation. He couldn’t dance around the topic anymore, he felt bad about what happened. “That’s beside the point. Remus, I’m sorry I slapped you. I’m sorry for having you escorted out of Walmart.“ He whispered, only able to look at the other’s shoes.

Remus gave a small yet pitiful smile, “I forgive you, Dee. I just… I want to know why. I didn’t think you’d…” He trailed off, unable to recall verbally because of how tense the situation was.

“I owe you an explanation, you’re right.” Dee looked at him, straightening his shoulders, as if preparing to go to war.

“You don’t. You don’t have to share something that might upset you.“

"I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about how you would react to me.” It was a monotone response, and Remus was confused.

“I wouldn’t judge you. Ever.” Remus plainly said, and with that, Dee let out a shaky sigh.

“Okay, I’m trans. I am a guy, I wasn’t born that way. It freaked me out because what if someone saw and then decided to harass me or follow me home and try to kill me out of hate? I am afraid of social ostracization, I try so hard to be normal and yet-” Dee stopped to catch his breath, since his chest feels like all of the air has been pushed out of it. “And yet it doesn’t work.”

Dee had watched his face in his peripheral view the entire time and didn’t see any hostility or anger or betrayal. All Remus did was slowly walk up to him and place his hands on Dee’s face, wiping the tears away.

“There’s really no such thing as normal. It’s just a label they put on white middle class people with kids that live in suburbs. You, Dee, are far from normal, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He whispered near Dee’s ear, not getting too close because Remus remembered the little things like how the shorter man doesn’t like warm breaths against his ears.

Dee certainly noticed how Remus consciously chose not to get that close, and on top of Remus’ statement, those two facts made him cry heavily, hiccuping between sobs. He’s never felt so cared for.

Remus pulled Dee’s head underneath his chin, holding his head against his neck and chest. Dee didn’t let go for a long time, even after he stopped crying and after Remus comforted him by running his fingers through his hair, rubbing his back, and telling him it’s alright.

Eventually, Dee pulled back when he was ready, and looked at the peaceful expression that Remus had. Placing a hand on Remus’ cheek, Dee pressed their lips together gently, and for a moment, there was nothing so perfect in the world.


End file.
